Pages

Monday, April 11, 2011

With that being said, I have decided that I am going to be giving the Lord more priority in my daily life. After our study last night at church with Andy Stanley called Time of Your Life: Part Two ”At Capacity”, I am changing my life’s priorities around. First of all, I will not be wasting my time on FB statuses or checking the statuses of others when my time can be better spent chasing after God and what He wants to show me as I spend more time with Him and in His Word. I will still have a FB account, but I will not be spending (or wasting) so much time on it. Yep…I’m was one of those FB junkies!

There are so many other things that eat up my time during the day that keep me from being more productive in the things that REALLY matter...God, family, faith, and others. I will not be posting to my blog as much either (even though I've already taken great strides to minimize my time on that already). I am deciding that it is more important for me to spend time seeking the things of God than the things of the world. When I look at the timeline of my life I realize just how short it is...how every day brings me closer to the end...and how each day passes more quickly than the last. And quite frankly, I think I've wasted enough of it.

So TODAY I choose to reprioritize the rest of my life, my time, my talents, and my everything. I want to bring glory to God. I pray He uses me in a GREAT and MIGHTY way. I pray His holiness and guidance drenches everything that He puts ahead of me. I pray He forgives my doubt and laziness. And I pray He helps me to keep His Word and to follow HIS instructions. Time is too short to live for anything else. Once God is THE BIGGEST priority in my life I know that everything else will line up as it should.

"Consider the lilies, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin; but I tell you, not even Solomon in all his glory clothed himself like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass in the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the furnace, how much more will He clothe you? You men (and women) of little faith! And do not seek what you will eat or what you will drink, and do not keep worrying. For all these things the nations of the world eagerly seek; BUT YOUR FATHER KNOWS THAT YOU HAVE NEED OF THESE THINGS. But SEEK YE FIRST HIS KINGDOM, and these things will be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions and give to charity; make yourselves money belts which do not wear out, and unfailing treasure in heaven, which no thief comes near nor moth destroys. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also." Luke 12:27-34 (NASB)

Couldn't agree with you more! We've started reading Radical by David Platt and am I ever convicted. I, too, am wanting to spend more time pursuing God. I want him to find me busy shining for His glory when He returns. Thanks for posting your thoughts.Kathy

Love your post, Mercy! Soooo true - thanks for the link, hope to have time to listen.

Heard a fabulous quote in a sermon once that I continue to strive to live by:

"Good is the enemy of best".

You can do a lot of "good things" but what does God want to use you for to do His best in and through you. Love it! Means being still before Him so you can hear his whisper and be able to react accordingly.

May God richly bless you for your desire to put him first in a new way :) Also beware, Satan will be throwing a million things at you to keep you from doing that.

As an aside, blogging and card making are a part of the talents he has give you to touch the lives of others so bring it before Him to see what He wants you to do with it :)

I am soooo proud of you!I made this same decision, a few months ago, and have really not missed all the "important" stuff that took up so much of my time. I have been rewarded with a closer relationship with my Heavenly Father, and my Saviour, and my family has benefitted too.I continue to blog, but only use FB when one of my five children posts photos of my grandchildren, so it's a tool, not a compulsion....good luck!

Bless you, Mercy. I know God will be with you in this decision and will direct you to the path he wants you to take. Use your God given talents to praise and please Him, and you can't go wrong! May He keep you in His protective arms.

God will bless your efforts with peace and joy and all the things this world cannot give. It may be a struggle with the flesh but delight yourself in Jesus and you will not be disappointed! And you are so right about our time here on earth, so short - no time to waste! He's coming back soon!Blessings! Natalie

Dear Sister….what a beautiful post this is!! I am so excited for the direction your life is taking as you adjust your values through GOD’s desire for your life.

Facebook is almost completely dismantled on my computer (it’s impossible to get rid of it totally) and while I didn’t spend a lot of time there, it still caused me such frustration. That is not the kind of networking GOD wants us involved in no matter what the world says. Facebook is a worldly frenzy and as you so aptly note, often a waste of your good time.

May I give you a Bible verse to bless your heart as you step out in faith on what GOD will surely bless in your life?

Found in Isaiah 26:3, the Word says You will keep in perfect peace him whose mind is steadfast, because he trust in you. Trust in the LORD forever, for the LORD, the LORD, is the Rock eternal.

May I pray for you???

Father, bring to this lovely child of yours a renewed sense of peace and joy as she takes your hand and direction on a firm path leading to your heart’s desire for her life. Bless her hunger and thirst for Righteousness and fill her with things of lasting value, things You love and ways you want her to spend her time. Bring people to her who love you and confirm your truth for where two or more are gathered, you are there in your wonderful glory and truth. Keep her reminded of the sand in Psalm 139 that tells her how often you think of her. Thank you JESUS for being our anchor in a world tossed and torn by unhealthy values. Thank you for encouraging the hearts of your children and for never leaving us alone. In your precious and most perfect name…..amen.

I applaud you... I also have stopped posting as much and asking God for direction in my life. I am retired, and don't feel like I have a purpose any more.. but I know God has something for me.... :) Bless you in your journey.

I hope you check your email to get this message. I just want to thank you for touching my life. I was inspired by your "couponing" sharing and have found that to be something that is helpful to me for both a personal hobby and a family financial benefit. So I am thankful for you for that inspiration. Thank you for sharing your time and talents in that way. I am learning more about this and now sharing what I have learned with my family, friends and co-workers.....so you have touched many lives without even knowing it.God bless you,Jennifer

Mercy- Good for you!! I admire your decision to cut down on time wasters. I hope you will continue to use your creative gifts!!!! IMHO: Posting your creative works to your blog is not a waste of time, in fact you are an inspiration... just include God in your stamping time!!

You can't go wrong with this decision, He certainly deserves our best! Thanks for this post, its honesty, its encouragement. We all need to take a step back from time to time. Thanks for the reminder. To God be the glory, I know He will richly bless you for your decision!!

Best wishes, Mercy! Time is our most precious commodity & hopefully you will still take a little bit to enjoy yourself with paper crafting which also gives others (like me) so much pleasure. I admire your commitment to spend time wisely in honor of the Lord. "Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect." Romans 12:2

Hi Mercy! It's not by accident that I stopped by your blog this am! I know exactly where you are right now as I too have been needing to refocus on how I spend my time. I pray God is filling your time with more and more of Himself and that He is leading and guiding you to know exactly what He wants you to be doing with each precious minute. The older I get the more I realize how much time I have wasted too... doing "good" things... but maybe not "His best" things. Thanks for the link and I just want to thank you for being such a light in a dark world! It's getting darker every day and I do believe time is short! I'll pray for you and you pray for your other Christian friends that we all would find that balance in our time and devotion and that we only bring Him glory with whatever time He gives us! {{{hugs}}} from a sister in Christ,Grace